Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Before You Accuse Me....

...take a look at yourself. I've heard and read about this type of thing happening. Something similar happened at the college I attended, but the dispute was one of a political nature (Quebecoise v. Anglaise) rather than a racial one. Searchie went through the ringer and I'm sure the life-long effects of the trauma, well actually trauma to the second power, are still reverberating.One of the life lessons she's picked up, "What did I learn?Never talk to an angry, disturbed person without a witness.", is certainly apropos these days when anger so easily precipitates into violence propelled by bullets.

The only part of the entry that I have a problem with is the slim connection she posits of her own accusation with that of the Duke lacrosse team. In the latter case, the accusation of rape has not been legally substantiated....but the setting of the accusation, the amount of alcohol, and the hiring of strippers does not compare to the academic setting, fully clothed participants, and alcohol-free (assumption on my part) environment that Searchie's nightmare occurred in. While I believe that Searchie was in no way responsible for the vitriolic scenario where racial charges against a person seemed to presume actual guilt rather than guilt to be proven, I still can't say the same for the three young men at Duke. The team's reputation and substantiated previous actions laid out an inviting fecund bed for false claims.

While I appreciate your faith in me and my intentions, I believe the situation was fraught with ambiguity. Whenever I hear about two people embroiled in a dispute, I always hear myself saying this: “Without a doubt, the truth is somewhere in between.” I don’t think my situation is any different. I tried to make my account as factual as possible, but it’s still my account – and I assume the truth is still somewhere “out there.”

Unlike you, however, I do see similarities with the Duke case. For whatever reason, a number of people involved believed there was something about me, my manner, or my background that could justify and support such an accusation.

It helps that I’ve begun to write about it, however. The experience changed me forever.